Data recorders are widely used throughout the world for making records of transactions such as credit card transactions and entry into hospitals. Data recorders transfer account information contained on cards, such as plastic credit cards and information identifying a merchant or organization, such as a hospital, onto a multiple sheet formset to create a record of a transaction. Typically, the plastic card is disposed onto the top surface of a flatbed at a predetermined location so as to transfer the account information of the plastic card to the correct location on the formset. A movable carriage containing one or more rolling platens is manually moved or moved under the power of an electric motor across the top surface of the formset to provide sufficient pressure between the peripheral surface of the at least one rolling platen and the underlying embossed characters on the plastic card and plate identifying the organization making the imprint to transfer embossed data to the formset.
Prior art credit card imprinters are typically manufactured from a number of different assemblies which must be assembled to produce the credit card imprinter. Among the assemblies which must be assembled together to form an imprinter are a movable carriage which runs along rails which are located on the outside peripheral edge of the flatbed which receives the formset, credit card and station plate, a flatbed, and card and formset positioning devices which are attached to the top surface of the flatbed for locating precisely the position of the card and the formset for making the imprint.
The overall cost of manufacturing imprinters having the aforementioned multipart assembly is increased because of the increased labor, time and number of parts required to assemble the imprinter. Because of the fact that imprinters are widely used and purchased by merchants in an extremely cost competitive market, a higher manufacturing cost places the higher cost manufacturer of the imprinter at a large disadvantage to lower cost competition. It is highly advantageous for the manufacturer of imprinters to reduce the cost of manufacturing of imprinters in order to meet the competitive situation which exists in the market place today.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,453 and 4,281,596 disclose an imprinter which is stated to be economically manufactured which has an extruded metallic base and a molded print bed made from a plastic material. However, the disclosed imprinter has a four part assemblage with two end caps and further a plastic insert having a configuration as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 12 of the '453 and '596 patents.